Men from Mexico arrested, 118 pounds of cocaine seized, MS Coast sheriff says
Three men from Mexico were arrested last week on federal drug trafficking charges after a Harrison County deputy found 118 pounds of cocaine hidden in their van, Sheriff Matt Haley said Monday.
The deputy stopped a black Chevrolet van on a traffic violation Thursday morning as it headed east on Interstate 10 through Gulfport. A trained dog smelled drugs in the car, according to the sheriff, and authorities found the cocaine in a van compartment made of wood.
Authorities booked three suspects into the Harrison County jail: Hector Rodriguez-Valdez, 32, Bryan Rodriguez-Valdez, 26, and Raul Quijas-Aguero, 26. The sheriff’s office said the suspects were held without bond on an immigration hold, which gives U.S. Border Patrol time to take them into custody.
Deputies also arrested a man from Florida on Friday in an unrelated incident, according to Haley. Authorities say they found 4.4 pounds of cocaine hidden in luggage during a separate traffic stop on eastbound I-10 in Gulfport.
The suspect in that case, 47-year-old Christopher Gill, faces a drug trafficking charge and is held in the Harrison County jail on a $250,000 bond.
Federal authorities have said I-10 is one of several drug trafficking corridors across the South.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 7:29 AM.